Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

PUBLISHER'S LETTER Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Manager Brendon Sheridan Phone (03) 9720 9198 Mobile 0416 009 217 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK Ross Tester Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Bob Young SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $59 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 8, 101 Darley St, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip Pay TV points the way for Digital TV Hands up all those people who are excited about the pros­pects for digital TV broadcasting in the next five years or so. What!? Is no one excited at the prospect of all those extra channels with high definition pictures and digital sound? Well, I’m not surprised really because we’ve seen this show before, haven’t we? Remember the announcements about Pay TV and how there’d be this huge range of channels and everybody and his aunt would find something to watch at any hour of the day? It hasn’t turned out that way with Pay TV at all. Not only has it been a pretty big flop in Australia but the cost has been huge. We’ve got two (unfinished) cable TV networks strewn around the streets and the likelihood that only one of them will be viable in the long-term. And there is no prospect at all that the losing network’s cables being removed, is there? Even people who have Pay TV will tell you that they often have “30 channels of nothing” to watch. They wonder if they should be paying the monthly fees at all but the occasional good movie or sports event keeps them connected. But what will happen when the Pay TV customers realise that there are going to be a lot more “free to air” TV stations? They might just decide that they can survive without Pay TV. There is a genuine prospect that all the money invested in Pay TV will never generate a profit. Just as with Pay TV, there are likely to be many twists and turns to the Digital TV story before the ultimate farce unfolds. Did you know, for example, that as part of the plan for the introduction of digital TV, that analog broadcasts will close down in 2008? That’s just 10 years away or just eight years after digital TV is supposed to start. Consider some of the ramifica­tions. First, how many people will immediately decide not to buy a new TV set, knowing that digital TV is coming soon and that their old analog TV will probably last for at least another few years? My guess is that analog TV prices are going to drop real soon. Or will set-top converters become big sellers? How much will digital TV sets sell for? No-one knows. Second, what if you live in the country? Chances are that digital TV will not arrive for many years and will the Government really want to shut down analog services while country viewers still depend on them? It seems to be the same story as with the proposed close-down of analog mobile phones by 2000, even though country users might be left in the lurch. Third, where are the “free-to-air” TV networks going to get all the extra programs to broadcast on all these new channels? They seem to have a big enough problem now. What will happen when the existing advertising industry budget is spread over all those channels? There won’t be enough money to buy or produce decent TV programs for all time slots. What will it come down to? Talk-back TV? And who wants to watch more TV programs, anyway? As time goes on, most people are watching less, not more TV. That’s quite a lot of questions. There aren’t any good answers. It’s all likely to be a huge farce, with the Government of the day hurriedly introducing it to distract us from the real issues of the day. That happened with Pay TV, didn’t it? My feeling is that this whole concept is being rushed into by the Government without any real thought about whether consumers need or want it. One thing’s for sure. It will cause a flood of im­ported sets and that won’t be any good for the Current Account Deficit at all. Leo Simpson